Accumulation of heavy metals in the earthworm Eisenia foetida

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1980 · J. Environ. Qual.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq1980.00472425000900010007x· OSTI ID:5569438

Hartenstein, R ^[1]; Neuhauser, E F; Collier, J

---

1. State Univ. of New York, Syracuse

Conversion of waste-activated sludge into egesta by the earthworm Eisenia foetida resulted in neither an increase nor decrease of 0.1 N HCl-extractable cadmium, copper, nickel, lead, or zinc. The addition of 2500 ppM copper as copper sulfate to activated sludge caused 100% mortality whthin 1 week, though feeding upon nonamended activated sludges with up to 1500 ppM copper over several months was innocuous. Amendment of sludge with 10, 50, and 100 ppM Cd as CdSO/sub 4/ resulted in 3.90-, 2.04-, and 1.44-fold concentrations in the earthworm over the quantities present in the sludge, with a range of 118 to 170 ppM being found on exposure to the highest level for periods of 1 to 5 weeks at 25/sup 0/C. In field trials with nonamended sludge, however, containing 12 to 27 ppM Cd, biweekly sampling for 28 weeks revealed accumulations in E. foetida ranging from 8 to 46 ppM; control earthworms not exposed to culture media with easily measurable Cd levels contained 0.3 to 2 ppM Cd. Upwards to about 50 ppM Ni, 325 ppM Pb, and 250 ppM Zn accumulated from sludges amended with ionic soluble forms of these metals. In the field, where these metals ranged from 2 to 46, 1 to 53, and 68 to 210 ppM, respectively, an upper concentration of about 50 ppM Ni, 55 ppM Pb, and 250 ppM Zn were found in the earthworm. Distinctions were made between accumulable and concentratable and a discussion is provided to show that each of the most problematic heavy metals, Cd, Zn, Ni, Pb, and Cu, may accumulate or concentrate in the earthworm.

• OSTI ID: 5569438
• Journal Information: J. Environ. Qual.; (United States), Vol. 9:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ANNELIDS
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
CADMIUM
COPPER
LEAD
NICKEL
ZINC
COPPER SULFATES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
INGESTION
SEWAGE SLUDGE
TABLES
UPTAKE
ANIMALS
COPPER COMPOUNDS
DATA
DATA FORMS
ELEMENTS
INFORMATION
INTAKE
INVERTEBRATES
METALS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SEWAGE
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
WASTES
510200* - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)